FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME - MATERNAL AND NEONATAL CHARACTERISTICS

Alcohol is the most common identifiable teratogenic cause of mental re tardation in North America. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a major pu blic health problem, which is frequently under diagnosed by physicians . Objective: To identify and quantify the maternal risk factors and ne onatal characteristics of children with FAS. Design: a retrospective c ase-control study using birth certificate data of North Dakota childre n diagnosed with FAS. Five controls were selected for each patient. Co ntrols were selected from the computerized birth registry and matched by gender, year and month of birth. Subjects and setting: A list of al l the children diagnosed with FAS from the North Dakota FAS Registry w as sent to the State Health Department. We were able to locate the bir th certificates for 132 (56%) of the 228 cases on the registry. Result s: Of the 132 FAS cases, 106 (80.3%) were Native Americans and 23 (18. 2%) were Caucasians. In this sample 51 (38.6%) of the cases were male and 81 (61.4%) were female. Statistically significant maternal charact eristics at p < 0.01 were: older mother's age, lower education level, fewer months of prenatal carl, fewer prenatal visits, lower gestationa l age at time of delivery and less prenatal weight gain. Significant n eonatal differences at p < 0.01 were lower birth weight and Apgar scor es and higher incidence of congenital malformations. Conclusion: FAS i s a completely preventable developmental disability Consumption of alc ohol during pregnancy can result in lifelong physical and mental impai rments on the fetus. All pregnant women should be screened for alcohol use during prenatal visits. Women with positive screens or at high ri sk should be identified early by the primary care physician and referr ed for treatment and counseling.